Trunk.



No. 812,967. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. U. U. WIGINGTON.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.20, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHBET 1.

I /2 "NH W M W X A M Axzomw No. 812,967. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

(3. G. WIGINGTON.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2 0, 1905. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Allomeyd.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed September 20, 1905. Serial No. 279,302.

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. WIGING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morristown, in the county of Hamblen and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to that class of trunks having trays which are raised and lowered by the operation, of the lid.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for supporting and raising and lowering the trays and also means whereby a tray may be swung up into the lid when said lid is opened.

The embodiment herein shown includes some of the features disclosed in my United States Patent No. 781,857, dated February 7, 1905, and also some of the features shown in my allowed application, Serial No. 251,320; but other novel features are disclosed and claimed, as will more fully appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one form of the present invention. Fig.2 is a perspective view showing one of the tray-lifting devices removed from the trunk. Fig. 3 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modification of the present invention, where only one tray is shown instead of two, as in the foregoing views. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the lifter shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail in end elevation, showing how the tray is swung up into the lid. Figs. 7 and 8 are details of parts of the tray-supporters.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 6 indicates the lid, and'7 the box or trunk.

8 indicates a main tray, and 8 a lower or skirt tray.

The tray supporting and lifting devices are duplicated at each end of the trunk. Referring to the means for supporting the upper tray, 9 and 9 indicate hangers which are secured to the ends of the tray 8 and have at the top hooks 10, which engage over the bars 12 and also have extensions 11, which when the lid is closed are held between the upper edge of the trunk-wall and the lower edge of the lid in the manner disclosed in my previous applications above referred to. At its front end the bar 12 has an offset part 14 to hold the tray in place, and at its rear end it is connected by a straight link 15 to the lid.

Means are provided for tilting the upper tray or swinging the same back into the lid, as indicated in Fig. 6. To this end the bars 12 have near their rear ends notches 12, which receive pins 10, extending across the hooks of the rear hangers 9, forming pivots, so that when it is desired to swing the tray up out of the way the front thereof is lifted and the tray turns up on the pivots thus provided, allowing free access into the tray below or, where only one tray is used, into the trunk.

When provision is made for two trays, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower tray 8 has secured to its ends flanged metal strips 14 ,which rest upon oppositely-flanged metal bars 14, pivotally secured by pins at 13 to the bent swinging links 13*, by which the trays are supported. The middle tray may be slid in or out on the supporting-bars 14 but to properly position the tray, so that it will not strike the sides of the trunk when being lowered, the strips 14 have holes into which lugs 14 may enter when the tray is set right. Slight lift will disengage the lugs from the holes and allow the tray to be pulled out. The supporting-links 13 are bent to the proper angle to bring the trays to proper position to enter the box of the trunk when they are let down, while at the same time preserving the greatest size possible for the trays.- Said links are pivotally connected at the lower ends to the bars 18, which are secured to the inside of the end walls of the trunk. These bars are preferably fianged at the top, as indicated at 19, to overlie the upper edges of the trunk and so strengthen the same. Also preferably the bars have offsets 20 at the ends, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, which offsets are secured to the front and rear walls of the trunk near the corners and serve the very useful purpose of strengthening the corners of the trunk.

In the forms shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, only one tray is shown. This is supported in substantially the same way as the trays above described, and it is capable of being turned up on the pivots 10 in a similar manner. Straight links 13 are used, as curved links are unnecessary. Stops 21 are struck up from the metal of the bars 18 for the purpose of limiting the swing of the links 13 and 13 in the respective forms shown.

The crooked or angular shape of the links 13* in the double-tray construction is highly lower tray, and the upper tray would have to be made quite narrow, because with straight links it would be thrown forward when the trays are lowered and unless made narrow would strike the front of the trunk and prevent the drop of the trays into the box of the trunk; but by the use of the crooked links the lower tray, which is connected at the elbows of the links, drops deeply into the box of the trunk below the bars 18 and gives ample room above for the upper tray, which by reason of the angularity of the links does not swing forward of the lower tray, but comes into position directly above the same and forms substantially a cover for the lower tray, which will prevent garments falling therefrom when the trunk-lid is closed. The stops 21 at the front end of the bars 18 limit the downward and forward swing of the links and trays, and the stops toward the rear ends of said bars limit the upward and backward swing, and consequent y support the trunk-lid and prevent its swinging back too far.

Various changes in the form and proportion of the parts shown may be made without de artin from the scope of theinvention, as in icate in the following claims.

' What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1 A trunk having a bar secured to the wall thereof and flanged at the upper edge to rest on the top of the said wall, and tray support ing means attached to said bar.

2. A trunk having a bar secured inside to the wall thereof, with a flan e at its upper edge resting on top of said wa'l and an offset at its end secured to another wall and forming a corner-piece. I

3; A trunk having lid-operated tray-lifting devices including notched bars, and trayhangers having hooks which engage over said bars, and pins extending across the hooks, which pins rest in the notches and form pivots on which the tray may be swung up and down.

4. A trunk having a plurality of trays, and lid-operated tray-lifting devices comprising bars secured to the end walls of the trunk and having flanges resting on the upper edges thereof, bent links pivoted to the bars, upper tray-supporting bars pivoted to the upper ends of the links, andlower tray-supporting bars pivoted to the links at about the elbows thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES C. WIGINGTON,

Witnesses:

M. R. KUNSMAN, GEO. E. TEwo 

